Thursday, November 22, 2018

A Short History of Industry in Latvia

Industrial Heritage for Tourism is an interactive map of historical industrial sites in Estonia and Latvia. The map provides a guide to early industrial factories, mills and other industrial sites which are now open to visitors in both countries.

You can filter the locations featured on the interactive map simply be selecting an icon from the map menu. The categories of industrial heritage centers shown on the map are mills, water towers, factories, lighthouses and railways. I really like the categorized map markers on the map which make it easy to select an industrial heritage site by type of center. I also like the 360 degree panoramic images which allow you to take a virtual tour of each location.

What I don't like about the map is that it seems designed to deter you from visiting any of the sites in person. Strangely for an interactive map designed to promote tourism Industrial Heritage for Tourism doesn't seem to want to help you physically visit any of the locations. The map doesn't provide addresses, driving directions or opening hours for any of the historical sites. The calendar section does have contact numbers for a very few of the industrial heritage sites. However, if you do want to visit any of the featured locations, it looks like you will have to do a bit of Googling first to find the site's official website (if there is one).